Patient satisfaction after LASIK remains consistently high but no medical procedure has a satisfaction rate of 100%. Why are so many patients delighted with their results and others disappointed? Obviously there exists a group of patients who have had had unanticipated complications but this is fairly rare. One of the more common reasons may be unrealistic patient expectations.
Why should a patient seek vision correction surgery? To reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Occasionally however, patients undergo LASIK or other refractive surgery because of dissatisfaction with the quality of their vision in glasses or contact lenses. If the surgeon is not attuned to this, expectations may not be met and dissatisfaction results.
For example, around the age of forty, patients commonly develop presbyopia, or a reduction in focusing ability. In glasses, a common solution is bifocal glasses in which the top of the glasses are utilized to view distance objects and the bottom correct for near. The LASIK procedure can eliminate the need for glasses for distance (ie driving) but patients may still need reading glasses for near tasks. If the patient is not aware of this before undergoing the procedure, disappointment can result.
Another example is the patient who notices a decline in the quality of his vision who repeatedly has his glasses remade because he feels the doctor “just can’t get the prescription right”. Finally, out of frustration he seeks the counsel of a LASIK surgeon. If the surgeon fails to extract the real reason the patient is seeking vision correction, the opportunity to perform diagnostic testing to detect subtle cataracts, retinal or optic nerve disorders may be missed. The patient may be free of his glasses but still be left with quality of vision issues and dissatisfaction with the result.
LASIK is a safe and reliable procedure which has had years of refinement. It may not, however, be the best procedure for all patients and all vision problems. Because we are not a “LASIK only” center we can treat a wide variety of vision disorders and customize a treatment program specifically for you. Our goal is no surprises and total patient satisfaction. Come in today for a free, no-obligation, consultation.
Posts Tagged ‘presbyopia’
Patient Satisfaction with LASIK
Sunday, December 27th, 2009Hate Bifocals? See Us for Options
Sunday, October 18th, 2009When the cause of your eyeglass dependence is nearsightedness, the vision correction options are pretty straight-forward. When there is a need for reading glasses or bifocals, solutions can be more complicated.
Most people develop a condition called presbyopia as they approach age 40. Presbyopia is the inability of the eye to focus at all distances, usually noticed when fine print starts to blur.
Some eye doctors disagree about what causes presbyopia. Most believe stiffening of the eye’s lens contributes to the condition. Other theories suggest that presbyopia could also be related to continued growth of the lens or atrophy of the muscles controlling the lens.
In the past, the usual remedy was to wear reading glasses or special multifocal lenses (bifocal or progressive) for presbyopia. But in modern times, surgical remedies for presbyopia also are available for qualified candidates.
One of the first effective surgical options for presbyopia correction involved producing what is known as “monovision” during LASIK. But other surgical procedures such as conductive keratoplasty or CK also have been approved by the FDA, which gives eye surgeons additional options for correcting this common vision problem.
In some cases, refractive lens exchange (exchanging the patient’s natural lens with a bifocal lens or artificial flexible lens) can solve the problem. The surgical solution for presbyopia continues to evolve. If you would like to explore your options, why not see us for a complimentary evaluation?